She felt uncomfortable…awkward in fact. ‘Did it show?’ she wondered halfheartedly…her mind more on what was to come…what she’d been putting off but knew she’d have to deal with eventually…well…”eventually” was NOW…or at least any minute now.

She was oblivious to the looks she was getting…she’d been steadily sipping her water (of course with the lemon slices…you canNOT forget the lemon slices!) …her throat felt so dry though…’Nerves’ she thought to herself ‘definitely nerves’

Almost every eye in the place watched Chioma raise her water glass to her lips to take another sip…which after a couple of seconds turned into a long drink…her eyes shut so she didn’t see the men lean forward almost imperceptibly as her head tilted back slowly as the water went down, exposing her smooth elegant neck …she stopped halfway, putting her glass down, the pink wet tip of her tongue coming out to catch the lingering drops of water at the left side of her mouth.

The lady at the table to the left poked her date in the arm to get him to put his eyes back in his head, eyeing him dirtily as she picked up her fork to keep eating her fried rice.

That got Chioma’s attention and she almost choked on the last of the water in her mouth at the thought that Mr-table-on-the-left had just earned himself a possibly EXPENSIVE placatory trip to The Palms ‘well O.Y.O perv’ she snorted under her breath.

Her mood descended again as the nerves returned…how…when…what was she supposed to say to him eh? She bit her lip worriedly.

She’d chosen this restaurant because they made his favourite soup, Ofe Onugbu, very well with the extra soft okporoko…just the way he liked it…ENOUGH dried fish! Yeah, this was a good idea…one or 2 beers would mean he would be nice and mellow. She’d never met a Yoruba boy that liked Onugbu soup like Tunde. She shook her head.

How would she start?

‘Emmm Tunde, umm you know we’ve been cool for a while now right?’

Or

‘Tunde…you’re very special to me…that’s why I didn’t want to do this over the phone’ hmmm…he’d see that one coming a mile off.

She uncrossed her legs absentmindedly and all the men in the restaurant, that had been watching this bosomy petite fresh café au lait skinned lady, held their breath as she recrossed her supple smooth legs so that her skirt rode up by another 8th of an inch. Yes, Mr-aristo-in-the-corner sitting with Miss-34”Brazilian hair was counting.

Chioma had no clue.

As she took a deep breath, her chest moved eye-catchingly and Mr-fish-pepper-soup-and-stout by the door choked a little bit.

She picked up her blackberry.

“PING”

D “T, where you @?”

She watched her phone, almost willing the message to change status…

Then.

T-Money is typing a message

D “be there in 5”

D “u ordered?”

D“want my nosh ready and waiting”

Sweet Chixxx is typing a message

D “dude. K like seriously. r u TREKKING here??”

T-Money is typing a message

D “Kiss My Ass”

Sweet Chixxx is typing a message

D “Ode”

T-Money is typing a message

D “don’t cream your panties. Jst drivin in now.c u in a bit”

Chioma snorted and put her phone down.

The butterflies in her lower belly decided to scatter at that moment. It was real…it was about to go down.

Ewo.

She knew when he walked in without even looking up.

The air in the room changed somewhat...became more…electric.

She looked up to see Tunde walk across the restaurant to the table somewhat in the corner that she’d chosen…to give them some measure of privacy.

Gosh he looked good though she thought eyeing him up as he got closer.

Dark skinned…broad enough to hint at some rugby somewhere in his past…his suit jacket hugged his shoulders and chest enough to fit without straining to look too tight.

He had on a peach shirt that looked extra yummy against his dark skin, his rust green tie accentuating it perfectly….as he got real close she noticed his suit was actually chocolate…yeah…he looked like chocolate.

The famous pink tip of her tongue came out again to wet her lips as her gaze travelled downwards…oh my word….she thought…he’s so….

“sharrap joo and hug your man” he teased as he took her hand and pulled her up from her seat and took her in his arms “how u doin babygirl”

Chioma was in 4inch heels but she still had to stretch a little…well, being “petite” she was kinda used to it…”I’m gooooooood” she purred as she snuggled into his warmth…wafting of A&F ‘Fierce’…she wanted to climb into his shirt with him and curl up there for a minute…mmmmm…but she remembered where she was especially when she started to feel his hands creeping down towards her….

“Tunde!”

He chuckled “well a man can only restrain himself so much when confronted with that” he gestured at what had 70% of the restaurant openly gawking at her as he took off his jacket “abeg put this on the back of your seat” she took it from him and did so as she laughed

“whatEVER. Its my inheritance!” She said sitting down, smoothing her skirt as she did

Tunde gagged on the drink of water he was taking “Inheritance ke?? O ti o! this one is PROPER heirloom”

They laughed together.

“Wey my nosh ooooo!” he asked as he rolled up his sleeves and almost as if the waiters heard him, the food came.

They settled down to eat, talking about the day they had both had up until lunch. Possible meetings, deals made…funny incidents and because they worked in the same industry they caught up on what was new as they usually did.

Tunde had his first beer.

They moved on to more risqué topics.

Who was sleeping with whom and what they stood to gain from their dalliance. Chioma filled him in on the juicy scandal that was making the rounds in her company about the E.D’s wife who was shagging one of the team leads. A much younger man no less! In fact she was all set to fly him to Paris for a romantic getaway.

Ok...picture this...I go on twitter to tweet a work-related twat a question about his services [hehehe], only for me to notice you commenting on something @4eyedmonk said. I click and click and land at your blog. And then I could not take my eyes off..had to read... and read...till the end, where I got a jolt.What an ending! I didn't picture it at all! I thought she wanted to 'make the first move' since he must have been slacking or something.Kudos! You're a brilliant writer!

I go on twitter to tweet a work-related twat a question about his services [hehehe], only for me to notice you commenting on something @4eyedmonk said. I click and click and land at your blog. And then I could not take my eyes off..had to read... and read...till the end, where I got a jolt.

And then I could not take my eyes off..had to read... and read...till the end, where I got a jolt.What an ending! I didn't picture it at all! I thought she wanted to 'make the first move' since he must have been slacking or something.Kudos! You're a brilliant writer!